Piano Concerto No. 15 in B-Flat Major

Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 15 is the second of the sequence of six concertos he composed during the astonishingly prolific year of 1784. It is also the first in which the parts he wrote for Vienna’s brilliant woodwind players assume prime importance alongside the solo piano; Mozart would develop that characteristic, giving to the woodwind players and solo pianist music of increasing individuality as he brought the form of the piano concerto to its first peak of perfection over the next two years. Bubbling woodwind dominate the opening of the Concerto, partaking in refined repartee with strings. Then the piano steals in with a rapturous flow of melody that spars alongside the winds in the manner of an operatic ensemble. The central “Andante” is a tranquil set of variations, its hymn-like theme heard first on rich strings before being decorated in turn by the piano. The concluding “Allegro” opens with an almost flippant tune in a nursery-rhyme-like hunting rhythm. This develops into a rondo with plenty of opportunities for Mozart to show his audiences why he was the foremost keyboard player in the imperial capital; this finale featured prominently in the film Amadeus.